Raymond Felton named NY Knicks' starting point guard, Mike Woodson open to playing him with Jason Kidd

New York Daily News | Oct 3

Raymon Felton is starting, but that doesn't mean Jeremy Lin's successor will finish.

Or look at it this way: the Knicks didn't sign Jason Kidd just to have him spend the twilight years of his Hall of Fame career as a glorified cheerleader/mentor. For the second straight day, Mike Woodson reminded reporters Tuesday that veterans win championships and continued to compare the age of the Knicks' roster to that of the Mavericks when Dallas won its first NBA title two seasons ago.

The one common denominator is Kidd, who is expected to do for Carmelo Anthony exactly what he did for Dirk Nowitzki.

"That's the plan," Kidd said on Tuesday.

Woodson twice said that Felton would "probably" be the Knicks' starting point guard, adding that Felton is "going to get first crack at it."

Felton, 28, has the younger legs and should play a majority of the minutes at point guard. There will be times when Felton and Kidd will play together. But in close games, especially in the playoffs, it's hard to imagine that Woodson wouldn't have more trust in Kidd, 39. Kidd has appeared in 146 postseason games, including three NBA Finals. With nine playoff games on his resume, Felton has never advanced out of the first round.

Also, in his first Knick stint Felton proved to be more than capable in Mike D'Antoni's pick-and-roll system. Felton and Amar'e Stoudemire were a formidable duo before Felton was shipped to Denver in the Melo trade. In Woodson's system, however, the point guard often hands the ball off to Anthony and runs to a spot on the floor. Kidd played that way in Dallas with Nowitzki.

Kidd also has an advantage because he commands respect on the court and in the locker room. He may not move like he once did, but Kidd has the knowledge and experience to make Anthony and Stoudemire a winning combination.